Monster Hunter Stories PC review - The Power of Kinship revitalized

When Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin saw a PC launch back in 2021, series fans wondered when the predecessor title would get the same treatment - and now, the wait is finally over. Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS handheld in 2017, Monster Hunter Stories is finally on modern platforms, including PC via Steam.

This allows both fans of the sequel as well as general newcomers to get their hands on a title they may not have played before, with the former getting to experience the spin-offs' origins. Does it hold up blown up to a bigger screen or is it a fossil of the past? Here's our full review of Monster Hunter Stories.

Monster Hunter Stories is a tale of wonder and friendship

Players will encounter various NPCs, friendly or otheriwse, throughout this adventure (Image via Capcom)

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While the mainline Monster Hunter series has been known for its gritty tone and grind-heavy gameplay since the PS2 days, Stories heads in a completely different direction. Instead of a real-time action RPG, this is a turn-based JRPG spin-off in the vein of monster-taming games such as Nintendo's iconic Pokemon series.

The tone is also presented differently, with not just cel-shaded visuals but also a more kid-friendly approach to story-telling and characters. That said, the narrative centers around a Rider raised in a quaint, secretive village where people live in harmony with beasts known as Monsties. The customizable protagonist is old enough to become a legitimate Rider and get their own Monstie.

However, when the mysterious Black Blight overtakes the land, the hero must step outside of their comfort zone and travel the world to seek out and thwart the root of this corruption armed with the powerful Kinship stone that allows bonding with Monsties. They will be accompanied by a talking cat or Felyne named Navirou. With other key characters such as childhood friend Lilia and the avid mushroom hunter Reverto, the 30+ hours-long journey is full of lively adventure.

There are varied areas to explore, each with unique monster spawns (Image via Capcom)

The game's entire concept is being one with nature and acknowledging and respecting it for the ruthless force it is. Despite a fairly PG atmosphere throughout, with ample jokes and funny moments, this is still a Monster Hunter game at its core. Monster Hunter Stories can take a dark shift when it needs to, especially as Riders tackle various beasts encountered on their journey and harvest them for parts and materials.

There are some heavy moments too. This is evident as the game sets up its premise with an early death scene or with Lilia blaming herself for their childhood friend Cheval having a difference of perspective in how Monsties should be treated. Despite that, the story is certainly the side-piece and can get predictable, what with the anguished friend-turned-arch-rival and the constant "friendship is power" quips from the Felyne companion.

Charging into battle

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Monster Hunter Stories' gameplay is divided into two segments: exploration and combat. The former takes place in the sandbox overworld as players traverse different environments, ranging from lush green plains and rainforests to freezing tundras and scorching deserts, following the story progression. While the hero can run around on foot, players should not shy away from riding their Monsties for faster traversal.

With over 100 Monsties to find and tame, there are ample options here. The game starts with humble roots, however, as players get a raptor-esque Velocidrome. With it, they will explore the vast landscapes - which are sizable for what's a Nintendo 3DS game. Exploration is encouraged as cute pigs called Poogies are hidden in tucked-away areas. Moreover, they will also gather items like ingredients and materials to craft consumables or to create gear - more on that later.

Let's touch on the star of the show: the monsters themselves. From the humble Yuan Kut-Ku and Nerscylla to beloved creatures like Zinogre and Rathalos, there is ample variety in Monster Hunter Stories. Each has a unique overworld ability, like the Velocidrome being able to jump dedicated gaps or Zamtrios allowing players to swim across water bodies.

Combat is strategic and fun (Image via Capcom)

Players can have a maximum of six Monsties in their party. On top of having different elements (or none in some cases), each belongs to one of three distinct affinities: Power, Technical, and Speed. This same logic is applied to the combat system in a rock-paper-scissors fashion, as Power crushes Tech, Tech is advantageous over Speed, and Speed trumps Power.

Players will engage in battles by running into overworld foes (or vice versa), after which the game transitions to a battle arena. While newcomers may be quick to brush off Monster Hunter Stories as a Pokemon clone, this couldn't be further from the truth. The goal is to bring enemy HP down to zero, and players will control two characters in battle - the protagonist and the Monstie, with the former to a lesser extent.

This is because, while they have full control over their character, Monsties act on their own outside of Commands. The AI works well for the most part, except when it doesn't - such as picking the wrong attack type - leading to scenarios where players can get into a pinch. This does drag down the pacing, but it is not a particularly egregious issue.

Each monster requires a different strategy to defeat (Image via Capcom)

There is also a Kinship gauge to manage; combing attacks of the same type as the ally Monstie against a foe can result in Double attacks that will increase Kinship while using Commands or protagonist Skills will decrease it. This is a balancing act as getting the Kinship meter to full allows players to mount their Monstie to unleash devastating ultimate attacks unique to each creature.

In combat, there are also Head-to-Heads where players must predict what move the opponent makes and the side that selects the advantageous move gets to attack first. This is topped off by minigames, like rapidly tapping a button as the two Monsties clash or alternating buttons to out-fly the opponent.

The game seamlessly incorporates many elements from the mainline series. For example, defeated foes will drop parts like meat and scales. Furthermore, stocking up the Battle Pouch with items like buffing defense or regaining HP is key to beating some of the tougher boss encounters. That said, Monster Hunter Stories is not a particularly challenging title as many of the toughest fights are end-game and post-game.

Grinding on and on

Rare monster eggs like the Pink Rathian are a delightful find (Image via Capcom)

Monster Hunter Stories is a lengthy game, and much of it is dedicated to the grind like the mainline entries. This can be categorized as monster taming and gear crafting. In the case of the former, players earn new Monsties by raiding Monster Dens that spawn in the overworld - either randomly or by felling a monster using specific criteria in battle so they retreat to their den.

These linear dungeons have randomly generated layouts at the end of which will be an Egg Nest. These are sometimes guarded by an awake/sleeping monster or none in other cases. In any case, players can search the nest for a monster egg. What egg they get is random, though retreating monster dens will feature primarily eggs of that monster. Higher rarity dens (gold or red color) also feature rarer monster eggs, but are rare spawns so gamers should always be on the lookout.

Each egg also has distinct patterns as well as quality, which is determined by smell and weight. Once acquired, it can be taken back to the stables in one of the several hub towns or cities to be hatched. Players indulging in den-diving shenanigans will likely get many duplicate eggs, but Monster Hunter Stories has a solution for that. Unlike other monster tamers, each one in this game has a specific gene makeup as depicted on a 3x3 gene grid.

The game explains its more complex systems patiently (Image via Capcom)

Using an in-game mechanic called the Rite of Channeling, players can customize Monsties endlessly, such as creating a lightning-element Nargacuga. While this is not needed for breezing through the story campaign, those who want to experience the post-game and online PvP skirmishes will need to step up their game.

Then there's gear crafting where players utilize harvested monster parts to make varied gear, including both armor sets and weapons. Minus the gunlance, all iconic Monster Hunter weapon types are accounted for. While it is best to stick to the weapon of your choice, I recommend crafting a variety of armor as they each have different resistances and perks, like Immunity to Paralysis (among other status effects).

Given how slow the flow of money (called Zenny) can be, as well as the randomness of hunting monsters, dedicated players will spend more time than they think upgrading their gear. This is increased even more if they wish to create the ultimate Monstie party through Gene editing. Players can slightly alleviate this via side missions called Subquests. It can be off-putting for some - but again it isn't a requirement as the Monster Hunter Stories campaign is not tough.

Graphics, performance, and sound

The technical limitations in no way harm the experience (Image via Capcom)

Visually speaking, players should reel in their expectations going into Monster Hunter Stories as its Nintendo 3DS roots are very evident from the lower fidelity models to constricted level designs. There is not much under the hood in the Options menu either; the only relevant settings to tweak include Resolution, Vsync, and Shadow Quality.

The game also supports up to 144 FPS and most rigs should get well above 60 at maximum settings. Since Monster Hunter Stories is now on PC, there will likely be a subset of players playing it on the keyboard. The standard PC controls work, though expect some wrestling with the mouse during dialogue box interactions. However, the game is best enjoyed on a controller.

In conclusion

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Monster Hunter Stories is an engaging JRPG experience that monster-tamer fans will want to check out if they haven't yet. While the story is just a vessel for the gameplay, the underlying foundation that derives its mechanics from the core Monster Hunter series is solid enough to result in a distinct RPG that punches above its weight despite its handheld origins.